Medical Relief
by crazyregz
Summary: Sakura desperately searches for a medication to ease her post-war mind. Sasuke catches her mid-medication session.
1. Search and Rescue

**a/n:: Hello Lovely's!**

 **This is my first fanfiction, with hopefully more to come. I've been lurking this sight for years but always kept myself from posting. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

It started out honest enough.

The five great nations were finally at peace for the first time in shinobi history. Her and the Rookie 9 had become heroes of war. Despite the great success, countless sacrifices were made, and while it weighed heavy on Sakura's medic soul, she had gone into combat with her heart stilled.

It was in the honesty of what came after – when she no longer needed to hone in her emotions and responses; her pain was heavy and suffocating through the loss of Neji, Inoichi, Shikaku, and so many more – that Sakura began to search for an answer.

Her matronly heart started with the children. Realistically, when she looked at the shadow of her former teammate, she knew that was the **only** place to start. Sakura, with the requested help of Ino, began the tireless work to provide a safe haven for those ravened by war. Starting from the foundations up, they created a curriculum, an equation for success of mental health so to speak - medication, counseling, guided remission, anything to prevent the rise of more Sasukes…

More than anything, Sakura was proud of her accomplishments. Proud of the smiling faces that once only knew sorrow, of the positive effect that extended to the nurses, hell, she was proud anyone had bothered to listen to her. Despite her success, Sakura felt empty. As she watched each of her classmates pair up and marry off, loneliness began to collapse her sanity in ways she hadn't experienced since before she met Ino.

Just like her classmates, as well as all the other survivors of war, Sakura pushed away the darkness through the love and compassion that spread through the village, through backbreaking hours on the training ground, and even more in the hospital; yet, it was in the moments Sakura found herself alone, swallowed by memories and pain, that Sakura found an answer.

* * *

It was a warm summer night in Konoha, a refreshing change from the harsh rays that had beat down the village during the summer season. Instead of returning home after her hospital shift, Sakura changed into her casuals and began to wander. This had become commonplace for her – changing smells and smiling faces allowed for a distraction, if not a way to rationally organize her cluttered mind.

As she rounded a corner, Sakura's mind drifted from memory to memory, judging their relevance and usefulness.

Her poisoned kunai…

Sasuke's unrelenting chidori…

The pain in Naruto's eyes as the dyed red…

Before the vicious cycle of guilt and pain could spiral out of control, a smell pulled her back into the present. A gross, disgusting, cancerous smell. Smoke caught in her eyes, and as she tears up and wrinkles her nose in disgust, a very disheveled Shikamaru comes into view.

"Of all the people to catch me smoking, it had to be the Assistant Medical Chief. Typical," he stated, pulling himself up to put out his cig.

"Ah, wait! I didn't mean to interrupt, I'm not here to berate you.. I was just…"

"…'ooking for an escape?" With his cigarette snugly between his lips, Shikamaru laid back down to observe the passing clouds in twilight.

"Yeah.." turning to leave Shikamaru in peace, Sakura stopped when a crumpled chip bag hit the back of her head. Turning with an un-amused look, Sakura made eye contact, ready for a simple and quick lecture about attacking the unexpecting, before Shikamaru spoke:

"Y'know, for the two smartest shinobi of our graduating class, we sure don't talk much." Patting the spot next to him, he said "Sit down, this spot is the perfect escape."

Sakura sat, reluctant of the smoke, and before thinking blurted out the first thing on her mind.

"I thought you'd given up smoking after Asuma's revenge… Why are you here?!"

Immediately realizing how accusatory she'd sounded, Sakura tried backing up only to be waved off dismissively from Shikamaru.

"You aren't wrong. Why do you think I'm hiding away up hear of all places? It's not exactly something I'm proud of, but… I realized Asuma did it for a reason. It helps."

Confusion graced Sakura's features. Tobacco was, is a drug! It's not medication, not something you can get prescribed to you, and more importantly, it had serious health risks! Sakura trusts Shikamaru. He isn't the genius of their class without reason. Yet, here he was doing something so idiotic, because it 'helped'.

Her eyes flicked from her wringing hands, to the pack of cigarettes between them, then to Shikamaru's look of relaxation as he took another drag.

Her voice came out so quiet and shaky, Shikamaru had to strain to hear it over the roaring cicadas. Through biting lips, Sakura managed to mumble:

"I could use some help."

Shikamaru saw the determination in her eyes, even as tears threatened to spill over. To think that the Assistant Medial Chief could be in so much pain she'd be willing to try anything to satiate it. Never one to deny a friend in need, Shikamaru withheld his usual health schpeal and hesitance - knowing that Sakura probably had the information already ingrained into her skull – and tapped out another cigarette, offering it towards her.

With a comfortable, trusting silence between them, Sakura allowed Shikamaru to light her butt, pulling in the first drag hesitantly.

It tasted disgusting. Like tar and evil and cancer. She hacked out her next couple of breaths, but seeing the way Shikamaru dragged with little effort gave her a slice of playful determination. She pulled slowly, feeling the smoke flitter against her tongue and down her throat. It burned, but in a way that felt good, almost as a pleasurable punishment for falling to such depths.

For what felt like hours, they sat and watched the clouds drift past the rising moon.

As her butt became shorter and shorter, ash filling the air, Sakura began to feel the nicotine course through her veins. It hit her almost like a punch to the stomach. Her muscles tensed and relaxed, and she found herself lying back onto the bench with her fellow genius. It felt.. it felt like returning home after a vigorous mission in winter. Having spent days sweating underneath heavy clothing to shield one from the cold, it was the relief of finally stepping into the threshold of home and slowly stripping away one's thick winter layers. It was the relaxation of muscles and the peace of mind of a successful mission.

As the last of their butts sizzled out, Sakura drew herself up with an almost newfound peace. She thanked Shikamaru dearly, and guided her way home.

* * *

That night, Sakura didn't sleep a wink. In the past, it was because of night terrors, or anxiety from the state of the world. Tonight though, Sakura had a mission. Curled up on her couch with books upon books and scrolls strewn about, Sakura began her research on medical herbs and mind-inducing chemicals. She began to search for the answer to her unrelenting pain. The cigarette had been the spark – a disgusting, yet temporary release. Surely, **surely** there existed a cure that didn't leave the mind numb and unresponsive like the medication the hospital prescribed.

As morning came, Sakura realized that texts could only provide her with so much information. With the Children's Hospital building momentum, Naruto busy studying and training to become Hokage, and Sasuke busy doing whatever the fuck he wanted, she came to a simple solution. There was nothing, not really, that actively demanded her presence here in the village.

With bags under her eyes and coffee in hand, Sakura marched her way to the Hokage's office to request to be put into fieldwork.

* * *

 **a/n:: Have you figured out what her miracle drug is?**

 **Please leave a review, this is my first time writing for a crowd!**


	2. Found

From the mission standpoint, Sakura was the acting medical knowledge and hero of the 4th Great Ninja War. Her mission entailed that she travel from village to village, collecting and sharing information to spur more children's medical programs throughout the land. Her personal mission just so happened to tie along. As a medical specialist, analyzing and researching anything with the potential to be medication (for the children of course) was expected.

She collected samples, making salves, pills, and inhalants. Every prototype that came from Sakura's 'lab' would go on to be revolutionary in the medical field, but none gave her relief her brain so desperately needed.

More than any laboratory or greenhouse could offer her, was her interactions with the locals. Her pink hair and motherly smile, as well as her nation-wide accreditation, made her easy to talk to, and eased in her access of information. What did _they_ use to numb the pain? Opium, sake, and tobacco – it was all just a way to escape the suffering that life dealt.

The opium comedown left an individual delirious, and in physical pain, one that could only be cured with more of the drug. Tobacco covers the lungs in tar and yellows the teeth and lips, caused halitosis and cancer. And as a predecessor of the 5th Hokage, sake didn't do shit for Sakura unless she was willing to completely empty her bank account.

It wasn't until Sakura found herself on her return, ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat, that her savior was thrust directly before her eyes. She decided to treat herself with what little remained of the mission funds, stopping in a resort town at the border of Fire and Grass. She started with the usual, not able to break months of routine, talking to locals and collecting information. As the moon drew overhead, Sakura wandered into a natural looking onsen, willing to wash her troubles away.

It was here, naked and vulnerable, half-submerged with her eyes closed, surrounded by steam and clean air, that she felt the hand of fate tap her shoulder. In reality, it was a busty brunette, holding what looked like a cigarette her way. Ready to refuse – she'd only had 5, max since her first encounter with Shikamaru, and that was enough for her lifetime – the smell of the smoke stopped her in her tracks. It was virtually unnoticeable through the steam and smell of nature that engulfed the spring; it smelled of burning sage and reminded Sakura of her grandmother's home, and the stick was between her lips before she could question what she was smoking.

Passing it back to the brunette, she sunk further into the water, leaving only her nose up visible. The effects were present almost immediately. A warming in her chest, that slowly spread outwards, unrelated to the heat of the water that surrounded her. Her aches and pains worked themselves out, leaving her feeling as though she was floating in midair. The mist caressed her hair and face, and for the first time, she drifted from the awful corners of her mind into a state of contented bliss.

Ironically, her miracle herb had surrounded her from the moment she left the village. Hemp grew like a weed, growing in bushes throughout fields and covering wooded floors with earthy blossoms.

* * *

Of course, back to her honest medical roots, Sakura carefully dissected and examined her loot upon returning to Konoha. She reported the power of one component of the plant to numb body pain, calm seizures, and reduce stress. It was the other component, the psychoactive ingredient that Sakura hesitated to report. Sure it had medical properties – hell, it was the only way for her to escape the confines of her mind – but technically so did sake and opium, so she left her report short and sweet, including a part about the euphoria and "release from reality" the combined components provided.

It was, without a doubt, perfect. Citizens, young and old alike, could receive a medical treatment that offered relief from the PTSD's of war. The medical core produced a number of products – edible waxes, pills, IV drips – but smoking the plant itself remained about as taboo as drinking sake.

As Assistant Medical Chief, Sakura could receive and technically prescribe herself any number of the hospital medications. Call it nostalgia from her first break with Shikamaru, or an oral fixation, Sakura kept on smoking.

Now, she wasn't high _constantly_. In the same way Naruto ate Ichiraku after a long days work, Sakura smoked. Not every night of the week, but enough to get her through to the next one.

It was nearly routine by now. Change out of her gross hospital scrubs, turn on the shower, brew her special herbal blend of tea and load a bowl while the shower warms, clean, put on panties, then retreat to the sanctuary of her living room.

On this particular night, Sakura opened her balcony window and watched from her comfortable position on the couch as her blinds billowed in the wind. She watched the smoke of her pipe and the steam of her tea grace off towards the window before being wisped away into nothing.

She relaxed down onto her couch, tummy rubbing against the fleece blanket she always kept there. With one arm under the pillow that propped up her head, and the other lazily tracing the lines of her wood floor, Sakura let her last drag pool around her face like a gas prison. With a huff the smoke dissipated and Sakura smirked at her perceived power.

Closing her eyes, Sakura allowed her mind to drift in ways she can't allow when she's sober. If she's high, and thinks of something particularly haunting, she knows she'll forget about it in the next 5 seconds. And if she didn't, she knew she'd be able to look at the thought objectively, and that it wouldn't grip into her heart like if she was sober.

For the first time since she returned to the village with her miracle cure, Sakura was thinking of Sasuke. Of course she thought of him every day, but always as fleeting images and feelings. Tonight though, Sakura thought hard. Their history flitted behind her eyelids like time-lapse video, none of it holding her interest as much as just thoughts of _him_. How he looks. How he acts. The sound of his voice. The stare of his mismatched eyes.

Her thoughts derailed faster than she expected morphing themselves into how he would look on top of her. How he would act if she pleasured him. Does he grunt or moan when in pleasure? Would he like what he sees under my clothes?

When her hand that was so busy admiring the wood grain slips between herself and the couch to skim her fingertips across her exposed belly, she tells herself she isn't thinking of him doing it. She tells herself she's not imagining his lips on hers, no more than she's imagining it's his tongue on her pebbled nipples and not her fingertips.

If observing the situation from a third person perspective, Sakura would tell you it was because she was high. She's touched herself before; orgasms were the next best thing to hemp, but never to thoughts of _him_. Her sober mind told her it was wrong to use him that way, that it was dirty to think about someone else like that. Her high mind though… her high mind _loved_ it, demanded it really.

Her imagination hit an all time high. She could almost materialize his hands, his tongue, his lips on her body. With her right arm still under the pillow, she buried her face into the cushy surface to hide her sounds of pleasure as she sat on her knees, back arched, with her rump high in the air.

Her left hand ghosted across her underside, over her clavicles, across her nipples and navel, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Without any sign of embarrassment a sober Sakura would have shown, she dove her hand into her skimpy panties, used her index finger to pull up her clitoral hood, and then immediately assaulted her pleasure center. If it was thoughts of Sasuke or the hemp, Sakura couldn't tell, didn't care, all she knew was she was so sensitive. Her vigorous assault of her own nub had her so close in barley seconds, but it wasn't enough. She pulled her right hand from under the pillow to pinch and roll her nipples, then dove two of her fingers into her slick, wet heat. She was so, _so_ close.

With her fingers pounding into her damp center, moans and droll running from her mouth, and eyes snapped shut from pleasure, and high out of her mind, Sakura continued unabashedly.

This was how Sasuke found her.

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 **a/n:: I'm evil. Gotta love a cliff-hanger. I've never written smut before, send your prayers for a believable and steamy final chap ;D**

 **anything you'd like to see in the smut chap? Leave a review, it's much appreciated 3**


	3. Insurgency

**A/N:: Howdy lovlies!**

 **Thanks so much for the reviews, they really helped push me to get this chapter out lol**

 **I was originally wanting this to just be a short three-shot, but I'm having quite a lot of fun writing stony Sakura :3 Not really planning for this story to go over 5 chapters, but this definitely won't be the last time we see a stony Naruto crew B))**

 **Enjoy the pre-smut, heavy smut next chapter!**

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Sasuke Uchiha is a very intelligent and logical man. He graduated top of his class at the academy, studied under one of the legendary Sannin, and possesses extensive battle experience.

He knows how to control the Sage of Six Path's powers through the Rinnegan. He knows how to manipulate his chakra and strategy mid-battle to better counter his opponent. He knows his life was owed to one loud-mouthed friend, and paid for by atoning to his sins. He knows when he returns to Konoha, he no longer has to fear immediate incrimination.

He also knows he should have headed for the Hokage's office the moment he set foot in the village.

He knows he shouldn't have made a beeline for one ex-teammate's apartment.

He knows he should have used the front door, knocked even, like a civilian would.

More than anything, he knows the peculiar smells and sounds that emanated from behind the kunoichi's balcony blinds were a warning sign that something was… off.

You see, Sasuke Uchiha is also a very emotional man, though he hides it well. While his logic told him to simply return at a more convenient hour, the tiniest irrationality of his emotions reminded him that something _could_ be wrong (ignited more, of course, by the fact that the woman who resided inside really truly loved him). With logic backing said irrationality (never did it occur that the moans were of pleasure, or that the smell was present as a result of Sakura's decision), Sasuke reached forward to part the curtains, ready to play the part of knight-in-shining-armor.

His calculations had not anticipated him playing the part of gaping fool instead.

In any other situation, had Sasuke walked in on a more… personal moment, he would have analyzed and responded before the individual even knew he was there. Years of traveling with a very _self-_ _absorbed_ Karin had allowed him to hone his skills. Yet, this, _this_ was a combination of emotions and reactions he could never be prepared for.

The Uchiha's sharingan flickered to life, the tomoe spinning almost frantically at the sight before him. His voice, originally poised to call out to the pinkette, chocked in his throat, in time with the heavy beat of his heart and the drop of heat to his pants. Sasuke's body had reacted before he could even comprehend what he was seeing – there, in all her soft, pink glory, was his former teammate. Ever so suddenly no longer the annoying little girl but… woman, so curvy… was that weed?

Sasuke felt like he was spiraling, none of his thoughts could form a coherent sequence, so he did what any 20-something male would do when confronted with this situation: he froze. Every detail of her stained into his memory as his sharingan refused to deactivate. He soaked in the 'o' of her lips, and the moaned, incoherent praises that spilled out; the supple curve of her breast, and the dainty, gentle hands that pinched her hardened nipple. He attempted to swallow, the thick sound lost behind the soft slipping of her fingers in and out of her center. And _shit,_ her tight, round backside was jiggling as she rocked herself back onto her own fingers.

Mesmerized, Sasuke remained rooted in place, hand still gripping the curtain. His manhood was pressing uncomfortably against the waistband of cloth pants, and as he pried his fingers loose in order to readjust himself he froze again like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over his head.

Along with the pants, gasps, and ' _oh shit'_ s that escaped Sakura's plump lips, Sasuke heard it… if he just stopped _everything_ , even his breathing he might hear it a second time…

Her breath pushed out of her throat as though she'd been strangled, and like a chorus of angles from heaven, he heard it. A long, pathetic wail, a single word..

" _R_ _ight.. right there! Oh god… S-Sasuke!"_

Like a switch, Sasuke was brought back to his senses. There, in front of him, was his currently very _alluring_ teammate. He could smell and see traces of weed on her table, so she was intoxicated (which explained why she seemed so sensitive). And while everything in his person was telling him to go before Sakura sensed him (or before he did something he'd regret), he just had to watch. Just a bit longer… he memorized the way her muscles trembled, and watched how her entrance clamped down over thin fingers. He experienced, very selfishly, Sakura Haruno cum by her own hand at the thought of him.

Ready to leave and shamefully do the same before his visit to the Rukodaime, Sasuke turned, wanting to pretend he didn't just witness the most arousing thing he's ever seen. Then, for the third time that day, Sasuke froze. Chancing a slow look down, he saw wrapped around his waist were two very delicate hands, nails painted sea-foam green. He could tell she was on her tip-toes from the angle her lips moved against the patch of skin behind his left ear. Her soft mounds were shamelessly pushed up against his shoulder blades as she leaned forward to whisper:

" _Did you enjoy the show, Sasuke-kun?"_

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 **A/N: First time (besides last chapter) writing smut. I'm so red right now. Let me know how I did, and thanks for reading!**


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